Summary of Legislation Impacting

Administration of Elections in Virginia

Effective July 1, 2010

The following is a summary of significant legislation passed by the 2010 General Assembly
that impacts the administration of elections in Virginia. These are effective as of July 1,
2010.

This is only a summary and this list is not all inclusive. Individuals are encouraged to visit
the Division of Legislative Services website for a complete listing of bills passed by the 2010
General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor. (http://leg1.state.va.us/lis.htm)

Also, please be aware some locality charters have changed and you should look at the
various links to confirm a particular locality is not affected by other changes in the law that
are not included in this summary.

A helpful summary of key legislation in all areas including elections and constitutional
amendments passed for inclusion on the November 2010 ballot can be found here:
http://dls.state.va.us/pubs/hilights/2010/Highlights2010.pdf (constitutional amendments are
summarized on page 2).

Although this is only a summary of the bills, the full text of the bill is also located on the
Division of Legislative Services website. For organizational purposes, the legislation is
presented by subject matter.

Acronyms Used in the Summary:

AG: Attorney General
EB: Electoral Board
GR: General Registrar
SBE: State Board of Elections

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 Absentee Voting

HB0050: Absentee voting; duties of the GR; penalty. Requires, once the printed ballots are
available, that the GR send the AB within 3 business days of receiving a properly completed
application. Any person who fails to discharge his duty regarding the AB process through willful
neglect of duty and with malicious intent is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

HB0063: In-person absentee voting; late applications and emergencies. Expands the scope
of persons defined as members of the voter's immediate family, and whose death or
hospitalization permits the registered voter to submit a late application for in-person absentee
voting, to now include adopted children, legal guardians, and siblings whether they are of whole
or half blood.

HB0217: Elections; absentee ballot lists. Requires the SBE to provide an electronic copy of
the absentee voter applicant list to any political party or candidate, upon request and for a
reasonable fee.

HB1235 and SB0055: AB; various deadlines related to ballot preparation and receipt;
write-in AB. Requires that AB be prepared & available for absentee voting not later than 45
days before any election rather than 45 days before the Nov. election & 30 days before other
elections. The bill also requires preparation of ballots 45 days in advance of special elections for
federal office and allows, if necessary, preparation as soon after that deadline as possible for
other special elections. Various deadlines for nominations and filings are adjusted in response to
the ballot preparation change. The bill provides that voters who are entitled to vote absentee due
to active duty military service, membership in the merchant marines, or temporary residence
outside of the country, or the spouse or dependent residing with such a voter, may use a write-in
AB to vote in state and local elections, as well as federal elections. The write-in AB may also
serve as an AB application and voter registration application for state and local elections, as well
as federal elections. Such voters may apply for ballots for multiple elections for a period of 1
year or through the end of the federal election cycle in which the voter submits his registration,
whichever is longer. Current law allows multiple ballots for a period covering 2 federal
elections. The bill also adds a requirement that the EB send such military and overseas voters an
available printed AB within 3 business days. The bill also allows, in certain instances, for the
counting of AB received from such voters after the

close of polls and two business days before the SBE meets to ascertain the results and allows
adjusting the final returns to include such ballots.

SB0051: Authorizes any person who has been designated by a political party or candidate to be a
representative of that party or candidate inside a polling place on the day of the election to cast
an AB.

SB0060: Copying of AB applications. Provides that applications for ABs may be inspected, but
not copied. Currently, the applications may be inspected and copied.

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SB0308: Retention of AB applications. Provides that the GR may retain all AB applications
until the EB has ascertained the results of the election, and has determined the validity of and
counted all provisional ballots, before delivering such applications to the clerk of the circuit
court. Currently, such applications must be delivered to the clerk before noon on the day
following the election.

SB0313: Absentee voters; central absentee voting precinct. Provides that a voter, who has
applied for but did not receive or has lost an AB or who returns an unused or accidently spoiled
AB, shall be allowed to vote on Election Day at his proper polling place or at a central absentee
voter precinct for his county or city.

Access to Data

SB0306: Information provided to political parties and candidates. Provides that, upon
request and at a reasonable charge not to exceed the actual cost incurred, a political party or
candidate is entitled to receive a copy of (i) the list of Officers of Election showing their party
designation and assigned precinct and (ii) any instructions or information provided by the State
Board to local electoral boards and registrars. The Board is required to post on the Internet its
rules and regulations within three business days of their adoption.

Administration of Elections

HB0104: Elections; filing deadlines. Increases the duration of time between filing deadlines
and November elections. Declarations of candidacy for a special election held in November will
need to be filed 81 days, rather than 74 days, before the election. A referendum election must be
ordered 81 days, rather than 60 days, before the referendum election.

HB0450: Appointments to fill vacancies in local offices. Provides that persons appointed to
serve the remainder of a term due to vacancy in a local office shall exercise all powers of the
elected office. The bill also affirms votes cast prior to July 1, 2010, by persons duly appointed to
fill a vacancy, including votes appropriating money in excess of $500, imposing taxes, or
authorizing the borrowing of moneys, are validated and confirmed as the lawful vote of an
elected member of the governing body. Although in conflict with a recent opinion of the
Attorney General, the amendments are consistent with case law and an earlier opinion of the
Attorney General.

HB1014: Elections; filling vacancies in certain local offices; special elections. Provides that
vacancies in a governing body or elected school board shall be filled by special election. If the
vacant position is not that of a constitutional officer, the position may be filled temporarily by an
interim appointment. The requirement for a special election would override charter provisions
that allow a governing body or school board to appoint a person to serve the entire remaining
portion of a term. The exemption for towns with a population of 3,500 or less is removed.

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HB1382: Public disclosure of personal information; law-enforcement officers. Prohibits a
state or local agency from publicly posting or displaying on the Internet the home address or
personal telephone numbers of a law-enforcement officer if the officer has made a written
demand such information not be disclosed. The written demand must include a copy of a court
order authorizing the state or locality to remove the information. The bill also clarifies the
publication of a person's primary residence address along with his name or photograph with the
intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass is unlawful.

SB0050: Officers of election; training. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall require
certification that officers of election have been trained consistent with the training standards set
by the Board. Such certification shall be submitted by the local electoral board each year before
the November general election. The bill also provides that each local electoral board shall
certify that such training has been conducted every four years.

SB0061: Appointment of officers of election. Provides that if an EB decides to appoint

substitute or additional officers of election after the appointments made by the board at its
regular meeting in February, such appointments shall be made, if practicable, from lists of
nominations filed by the political parties entitled to representation as officers. The bill also
provides no more than 1/3 of the officers appointed for each precinct may be citizens who do not
represent any political party.

SB0137: Lists of registered voters; disclosure to commissioners of the revenue and

treasurers. Allows the SBE to furnish, for a reasonable fee, lists of registered voters to
commissioners of the revenue and city or county treasurers for tax assessment, collection, and
enforcement purposes.

SB0654: Electronic reforms; SBE. Makes several amendments to Title 24.2 (Elections) that
authorize the SBE to utilize various electronic systems. The bill provides the SBE shall provide
only electronic pollbooks, and not paper pollbooks, for any election held on or after November 1,
2010, and for all subsequent years and makes corresponding amendments that become effective
on November 1, 2010. The bill further provides the SBE may furnish an electronic copy of
absentee voter applicant lists to candidates or political parties for use only for campaign and
political purposes. Such lists shall not contain any voter's SS number, or part thereof; day and
month of birth; or residence address of a voter who has provided a P.O box in lieu of a residence
street address.

Ballot Access

HB0499: Candidates for office; petitions. Provides persons signing petitions for an
independent candidate or candidate for nomination by primary will no longer be required to
provide their social security number, and will be permitted, but not required, to include the last 4
digits of their SS number.

HB1203: State Board of Elections; Candidate consent. Requires recognized political parties
to receive consent from a candidate before nominating them.

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 Campaign Finance

HB0125: Campaign Finance Disclosure Act; materials to be provided by SBE and AG.
Requires the AG to provide a written explanation of the provisions of the Act that prohibit the
personal use of campaign funds and to delineate the differences between prohibited personal uses
of campaign funds and permitted uses of the funds. The AG’s explanation shall be distributed by
SBE to all candidates, committees, and persons subject to the Act's provisions.

HB0215: Campaign telephone calls; caller identification. Prohibits any candidate, candidate
campaign committee, person, corporation, or political committee making campaign telephone
calls to intentionally modify caller identification information in order to mislead the recipient as
to the identity of the caller. If the call is made from an "automatic dialing-announcing device"
and caller identification information includes a name associated with the telephone number, then
the caller identification information shall include, as appropriate, the name of the candidate,
candidate campaign committee, person, corporation, or political committee that has authorized
and is paying for the calls or the vendor conducting the calls.

HB0356: Campaign finance; political campaign advertisements. Requires the SBE hold a
public hearing when determining whether the chapter on political campaign advertisements has
been violated and whether to assess a civil penalty. The Board is required to send notice by
certified mail to persons whose actions will be reviewed and who may be subject to a civil
penalty at least 10 days before the hearing. Notice shall include the date and time of the hearing,
an explanation of the violation, and maximum assessable penalty.

HB1387: Campaign finance information and reports; public access. Clarifies that
information, not required to be entered into the campaign finance database that candidates or
committees may include in campaign finance report-creation software managed by or for the
State Board, is not required to be disclosed to the public.

SB0723: Campaign finance disclosure; special reports of large contributions by governing

body members. Repeals the provision (§ 24.2-948) enacted in 2004 that required governing
body members during non-election years to report campaign contributions of $500 or more
within 15 business days of receipt. The bill amends other sections in the Code to delete
references to the repealed provision.

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 Election Day Procedures

HB0220: Polling places; campaigning activities. Clarifies that the exemption allowing a voter
to enter a polling place wearing a shirt, hat, or other apparel on which a candidate's name or a
political slogan appears does not apply to candidates, representatives of candidates, or any other
person who enters the polling place for a purpose other than voting. Local EBs are provided the
flexibility in the designation of the 40-ft. prohibited area if an entrance to the building is from an
adjoining building, or if establishing the prohibited area outside the polling place would hinder
or delay a qualified voter from entering or leaving the building.

HB1000: Elections; emergency procedures. Requires a local EB to give notice, including

notice to all candidates on the ballot if an emergency makes a polling place unusable or
inaccessible and the provide an alternate polling place. The provision of the alternative polling
place is subject to the prior approval of the SBE. The bill adds a definition of "emergency."

SB0049: Authorized representatives at polling places; use of wireless communication

devices. Provides that authorized representatives of political parties or candidates permitted to
observe activities at polling places shall be a qualified voter in any jurisdiction in the
Commonwealth. Currently, such representatives must be a qualified voter of the county or city
where the polling place is located. The bill also permits such representatives to use handheld
wireless communication devices at polling places provided such devices do not contain a camera
or other imaging device.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

HB1028: FOIA; recording of public meetings. Prohibits any public body from conducting a
required open meeting to be held in any building or facility where recording devices are
prohibited. The bill also clarifies no public body may prohibit or prevent any person from
photographing, filming, recording, or otherwise reproducing any portion of a meeting required to
be open.

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 Voting Equipment

HB0390: SBE; voting equipment requirements. Authorizes the local EB to exclude absentee
voters from the calculation of registered voters used to determine the number of mechanical and
electronic voting or counting devices that must be provided in each precinct. The board must
send the SBE a statement of the number of voting systems to be used in each precinct, and the
SBE may direct the local board to provide more systems.

HB1225 and SB0593: Elections; voting equipment; acquisition of DREs. Allows localities to
acquire DREs from other localities within the Commonwealth from their existing stock for the
purpose of providing one voting system at each polling place equipped for individuals with
disabilities. The local EB shall notify the SBE when acquiring DREs under this subdivision and
shall certify to the SBE the DREs acquired under this subdivision are necessary to meet
accessible voting requirements.

Voter Registration

SB0309: Voter registration applications; retention of information on applicant's last

previous residence. Provides the GR for the locality where a voter currently resides shall retain
the portion of the application that shows the applicant's last previous place of registration, or a
copy thereof, if the voter formerly resided in another state. The GR shall send the original or a
copy to the appropriate registration official of the other state where the applicant formerly
resided.

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